Thursday, February 14

I tried an experiment this morning. I baked a batch of heart-healthy ginger-y cranberry walnut scones and wanted to know what biologic effects they have, if any. So I fed them to my favorite elephants at the San Diego Zoo this morning, and, lo and behold, they smooched. Eat your heart out David Attenborough.

Then he said, "How'd you get your skin so soft? They been washing you with that Oil-of-Olay in-shower body moisturizer?"

Then they engaged in a big elephant French kiss.Food Blogga Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in this experiment.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since Zorra of the beautiful Kochtopf is looking for some homemade edible hearts, I'm sending her my heart-healthy scones. Made with non-fat cottage cheese and yogurt and Smart Balance butter substitute, these scones are low in fat, cholesterol, and calories. They're also filled with antioxidant-rich cranberries and walnuts, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids --the ones linked to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Like my Date, Fennel, and Pistachio Scones from last fall, they are moist and flavorful and will fill your home with the enticing aromas of tart cranberries, tangy orange zest, and spicy ginger.

These would make a great antidote to the chocolate overdosage that will occur across the world today. So eat 'em guilt-free. Your heart will love you for it.

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To toast the walnuts, add to a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until aromatic and lightly toasted. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk cottage cheese, yogurt, orange zest, ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon; set aside.

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chilled butter (in small pieces), and mix with a pastry blender or fork, until a coarse meal forms with tiny pea-sized butter pieces. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture and, using a fork, mix until just combined. Stir in the berries and nuts. Do not over mix or the dough will become leaden.

Using a floured surface, shape the dough into a disk, about 1/2-inch thick. If desired, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to form scones. Otherwise, with a wet knife (to make slicing easier) cut the dough into 8 triangular shaped scones. Place scones on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between them.

If using, then brush egg wash over the tops of the scones before baking. It will create a shinier finish, and slightly softer crust. Otherwise, place in oven.

Bake scones for about 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Unfortunately the scones didn't work on the gorillas. Maybe she had a headache.

Hahaha!! Cool pics!! Speaking of Elephants, I fried some Elephant ears at FH, no elephants were harmed either, take a peek!:DI bet that lady Gorilla didn't look at those Scones properly,her loss! They look fabulously yummy.Love the color, so V day breakfast!! Enjoy!:)

If elephants really don't ever forget, those elephants will be greeting you with a joyful stampede next time you're at the zoo. I do love a good scone, and would see these being great with generous lashings of butter and a nice cup of coffee.

I just made this recipe for the 3rd time, and I'm having fun playing around with it. Today I made this recipe with blueberries instead of cranberries, lemon zest instead of orange, maple sugar instead of sugar, a mix of different nuts, and 1 cup of the flour whole wheat. I wouldn't call the end result a scone, but rather a heart healthy not very sweet snack cookie. Good for breakfast on the run or whenever I need a little something to keep me going until the next meal. I wanted to note that in the recipe, I don't see where to add the berries. Thank you! I discovered your blog while looking up the difference between a frittata and a tortilla and I have very much enjoyed it ever since! Keep up the good work! Jenny

jenny-That's wonderful! I love to play around with recipes too, and I like your choice of flavor combinations. I just added the line about the berries; thanks for letting me know! I'm so pleased you have been enjoying my blog. It's such a pleasure to meet new readers.

"zenchef-Wow! Maybe you should talk to my husband (he's a dermatologist) about laser hair removal. ;)" LOL. hilarious! maybe you should zen chef in your case laser hair removal might do you some good =P

I made this recipe the other day, trying to use up the cranberries stashed in my freezer! I like how they were not too sweet and everyone I shared them with (I did a double batch) liked them as well :)

I have only made scones once before, and they were more like the muffin method... these were very dry, but i wasn't sure if I should add any more liquid. It was hard to shape into disk as it kept falling apart. Is this as they should be??